Damarious Randall on the Browns in ‘19: ‘The AFC North knows it’s in trouble’

BEREA, Ohio — Damarious Randall has a warning for the AFC North, and the NFL in general.

“We know what's ahead,’’ Randall said after Sunday’s 26-24 loss to the Ravens. “The NFL knows it’s in trouble, the AFC North knows it’s in trouble. We expect to win the AFC North next year, we expect to win a lot of games next year and we've just got to get back to the drawing board and get some rest and get back to work.’’

The Browns finished their season at 7-8-1, but won five of their last seven games and went 3-2-1 in the division. They came close to knocking the 10-6 Ravens out of playoff contention on their home turf, with Baker Mayfield putting up 17 second-half points and threatening to beat them on the final play.

Ultimately, he was picked off by C.J. Mosley on fourth and 10, but the Browns served notice that they’re coming for the division crown next year.

“We’re a force to be reckoned with,’’ said Randall. “At the end of the day, the AFC North is going to come through Cleveland from here on out and I’m just kind of looking forward to it. The future is bright here.’’

The Browns went into Baltimore to prove who they are and learned something about themselves by coming back from a 20-7 halftime deficit.

“This team’s got a lot of resiliency,’’ he said. “This team’s got a lot of character to it and we’ve got a lot of fight and that’s what you want in an NFL team.’’

Randall, acquired in a trade with the Packers, said the group assembled largely by John Dorsey jelled quickly.

“This is a group that's very tight and we got tight fast,’’ he said. “It went from ‘we're all on different teams’ to, ‘boom, we all play for the Browns, boom, we’re up in camp, boom, we're all together 24/7,’ it happens fast. I feel like with the wins we did get, that builds a lot of confidence, a lot of swag and I feel like guys take that into the offseason and want to get better.’’

Randall, who played on two Packers playoffs teams and went to the NFC Championship Game once, stated early on that this team had playoff potential.

“Some people look at this year as a rebuilding year, this and that, (but) we could have easily won 11, 12 games this year,’’ he said. “I don't look at no year as a rebuilding year. With the guys that we have in this locker room, we're a very talented group. It's a bittersweet moment to see teams we're better than go to the playoffs, but at the end of the day, you learn more from losses than from winning and this program, this team has had its fair share of losses, so now it's time to win.’’

Randall said it makes no difference to him who the Browns hire as their next head coach.

“What coaches?’’ he said. “I mean, I could care less who the coach is, honestly. I'm here to play football. I get paid to play football and I get paid to help my team win games. That's what I'm going to continue doing and this is the game I love to play and I'm going to continue getting better.’’

Heading into his contract year next year, Randall would love to sign an extension.

“I love this team,’’ he said. “I want to be here for the rest of my career.’’

In the meantime, he’ll get some rest and then get back to working out with his teammates in the offseason.

“You want guys challenging each other,’’ he said. “You want guys ready to make plays and I feel like we’ve got that here and a we’re a team to be reckoned with. Whoever’s on our schedule next year, good luck.’’